


Once in a Blue Moon

by Lu_Liz



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Heiji and Hakuba are still rivals tho, Kinda, Last Heist, M/M, Shinichi back from being Conan, Shinichi's back from being Conan, idk how to tag, kaishin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-02-18 19:17:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13106778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lu_Liz/pseuds/Lu_Liz
Summary: The crowd gaped, the police bewildered. He caught sight of his detectives with expressions that he hasn't seen for a long while. Grabbing the edge of his hat and leaning it forward to cover his face, he smirked. God, has it been a while.Opening his mouth, he proudly shouted "Ladies and Gentlemen!""Kaitou KID is back in business."





	1. Prologue

A small group of the police ran around, a letter triggering the panic. Two detectives currently held a copy of the letter in their hands, their eyes analyzing every detail. 

In every blue moon, in every starry night

My desires are unleashed, so becomes the light

Bringing forth a new era, the doves shall fly

And again with the harmony, the moon will rise

Come forth thee who shall see the ever-lasting life

Keys are shrouded, along with it a fight.

-ADAB

Their mouths formed into a smirk, finally knowing the letter's message. "How simple of him." Hakuba said, gaining the police's attention. Nakamori Ginzou, former head of the KID Task force, questioned on what the letter meant. He was never good with riddles but was he a  _damn_  good police officer. Shinichi had never met someone like him. Sure, their first meeting was sort of a... failure, but over time the inspector and the detective got along thanks to Aoko Nakamori, the daughter of Nakamori, and his childhood friend Ran. 'If Ran hadn't kept on dragging me to Nakamori-san's place, we'd be clashing our heads right about now...'

It had been two years since KID's last heist. _Two years_ without a single heist notice on the police's doorsteps. KID was officially retired, apparently. His last heist was a bit of a shocker to be honest. Multiple snipers were present, targeting KID whilst he quickly stole the gem. Shinichi was positive that was the gem he was looking for and now that it's done, KID was no longer needed and with KID gone, the KID Task force was no longer needed as well.

"Do you really want to know?" Shinichi asked, his eyes with an all-knowing glint. The small group of police officers nodded, ready to act. "The letter really doesn't have anything important to it but--" He was cut off by Hakuba's hand being placed on his shoulder "Just a moment, Kudou-kun."

"Do you really want to tell such a small group important information? Shouldn't you at least gather about... a thousand police officers?" The officers flinched 'A thousand officers?!' Their minds screamed. "Why would we need  _that_  many officers, Hakuba-kun?" Nakamori-keibu asked what the untold question was. Hakuba smirked, his eyes closing before opening again "Nakamori-keibu, are you ready to fight?"

"W-What?" The inspector didn't expect that one coming. "Oi, Hakuba. Don't scare him like that. We both know that he can fully take him on again like two years ago." This brought up cautious alarm to Nakamori-keibu. "What about two years ago?" 

"Look here. See the first letters in each line? What does it spell?" Shinichi held up the copy of the letter "I,M,B,A,C,K..? I'm back..?" The inspector said out-loud. "But Kudou-kun... No one has ever heard of ADAB! How can he say he's back when no one even knows of him?"

"Maybe... But if we turn every letter in that name into numbers... Well, you'll know exactly what we mean by this letter being 'too simple' of a cipher considering who wrote it." He finished as the Inspector began to think. "ADAB... 1..4..1.." He paused before his expression showed a mix of horror and glee "..2" He finished before repeating it again "1412, other words known as..."

"KID." Hakuba finished. "But... But why?! Why would  _he_ come back?! Does that mean his announcement at that time was... a lie?"

"I doubt that." Shinichi whispered, but loud enough for everyone to hear "I doubt that his announcement was a lie. Remember, that night was the first and last time he stole a gem after his eight year hiatus. That would mean that the gem he stole was the one he was looking for. This note was probably written unexpectedly, meaning..."

"He's looking for another gem again." Hakuba finished Shinichi's explanation "Which is why Nakamori-keibu, we need a thousand officers. We need the KID Task force." 

The next day, KID was in every news channel.


	2. His Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KID has finally returned after two years but with one question:
> 
> "What is his target?"

Kaito Kuroba was currently in viewing the news' report of KID and his so-called 'last heist'. How laughable it is now. The gem the Black Syndicate had been targeting was destroyed by him two years ago, most of the members of the Syndicate was arrested such as Snake and his boss while only a few were left to run and hide. So why did he revive KID? Simple. He needed to steal something very,  _very_  important.

Now in college and working his way to his dream job, he knew he'd have to go back to the swing of things. Two years of no adrenaline rushing activities could really set your body back once it had a dose of it. There was also the fact that the police could also have improved their security and having new recruits while his detectives could've boosted their intelligence and gained more information on certain things.

This, however, didn't mean he had quit magic just because KID was no longer needed. He'd been working day and night on improving his hand skills, technique, and even his poker face. Sure, there was the occasional trick-gone-wrong kind of ordeal but that was inevitable if you're willing to learn new and more advanced tricks.

"Bakaito!" A scolding voice said. Looking up and already knowing who it was, Kaito immediately grinned "Mornin' Ahoko" He greeted. Aoko snatched his tablet away, the screen still in the news report of KID as her brows furrowed "Aoko thought that thief was already done with his antics! Knowing Tosan, he'll definitely stay up late!"

Kaito's inner smile just grew wider at the mention of Nakamori-keibu. He'd been living next door to him but as Kaito Kuroba and not Kaitou KID. He had to thank the Inspector about the little updates on the Police Headquarters. Apparently, after his final heist, the KID Task force was no longer needed without KID stealing gems worth millions, causing them to disband. It was quite sad, now that Kaito thought about it. When Nakamori-keibu went home, he was all gloomy and depressed. He probably remembered when KID was in his hiatus and hearing KID's retirement, he must be shocked from head to toe.

"Isn't it good though? Keibu will finally have something to look forward to." He replied, Aoko looking still for a moment before sighing and taking her seat as the lecture started. "I guess it's fine since the police improve so much after his retirement..." She thought out-loud. Kaito only nodded, his mind wandering off to his target.

\--

_Damn that thief for making him wait_ was the first thought Shinichi had after knowing the letter's true message.

He had stayed up all night going through KID's previous heists to catch on to the thief's habits and traps. The police force was in complete disarray when they announced KID's comeback. Most of them were shocked confusion as the magician had retired two years ago but nevertheless began to reform the KID Task force. Once again, Nakamori-keibu was the head of the force having more experience of the Moonlight Magician. Old and new troops were seen at the meeting for the Task Force, the old ones catching up to KID's antics on previous heist nights while the new ones busied themselves with KID's tricks and what to expect while they were on the pursuit of the thief.

Things somewhat settled down as news reporters came and interviewed the Task Force on live TV, saying it was for the public to not miss anything interesting while social medias only seemed to have their eyes on that interview.

 Hakuba was the first to be interviewed as he pointed out the obvious hidden message of the letter KID had sent. He then went on to say that the thief was 2 years, 4 months, 2 weeks, 17 hours, 38 minutes, and 26 seconds late on that letter as he'd been waiting for it to arrive since 2 years, 4 months, 2 weeks, 17 hours, 38 minutes, and 26 seconds ago. The Task Force only face-palmed at the time obsession, most of them astounded and speechless.

 It wasn't long before it was Nakamori-keibu's turn to be interviewed. He said that he won't let the phantom slip by again, his usual determined face turned towards the camera and challenging the thief to try and come out.

_And what a mistake that was._

As soon as he challenged the thief a puff of pink smoke exploded in the air of the grand room. The smoke slowly disappeared, revealing a card on a parachute-- A card with KID's insignia on a parachute. "Good evening, everyone." The all-too-familiar voice greeted. Everyone eyes shot up and looked at the card of shock. "It's been a while hasn't it? How long was it again..? Two years?" The voice asked. "I hope you're all doing quite well! I do need to apologize for the simplicity of the note as my dear detective, Hakuba, had mentioned. I thought it would be a good start seeing as I will be advancing towards harder heist notes." KID's voice stopped for a moment, before beginning again.

"I assure you. My last heist... No no.. It shouldn't be called that anymore..." KID's voice went into a whisper near the end as his voice drifted off along with it, seemingly having to think about what to call the heist "My  _latest_  heist and my retirement was quite authentic at the time.   _Was_." He repeated.

"I  _had gained_ my target, but it seemed that I have acquired a new target." Officers began to whisper at that point. 'What's his new target this time?' was the most common question among the room. The whispering died down as KID began to talk again "Ah, Nakamori-keibu." The thief started "If you don't mind, I would like to take you up on your challenge. You, of course, wouldn't need to prepare for a gem for me to steal as I simply just want to see your men's strength and wit's. I also would like to take up my dear detectives, especially Tantei-kun's cousin, Kudou Shinichi."

Conan... Of course KID would remember his alter-ego. He was the only one other than Hakuba to match wit's with the phantom after all. When Conan Edogawa 'went back to America to live with his parents' Ran had furiously cried only to be comforted by Kudou Shinichi after he had 'finished his case' and was never going to leave again.

"Seeing as you are tantei-kun's cousin, it would be appropriate for me to call you Meitantei, correct?" He could just hear the smirk in KID's voice. He knew that KID knew that Conan was just an alias of Kudou Shinichi. The detective and thief had back-to-back saved each other's lives one way or another, either to return a favor or just out of plain concern for the other. Shinichi laughed in his head.  _A thief helping a detective and a detective helping a thief? How ironic is that?_

"Well then! I shall be seeing all of you tonight at 9:00 P.M. at the Tokyo Sky Tree. I shall see you all soon, under the moonlight." At that, the card exploded into a pink puff of smoke once again. Silence  consumed the grand room before shouts were heard, seemingly all throughout Japan.

\--

Shinichi had never seen so many police cars, shouting fans, helicopters, and news cameras in one night. It was 8:55, 5 minutes until KID showed after 2 years. "Five minutes until KID's appearance!" Nakamori-keibu shouted through his radio as officers went to their assigned positions. "Quite unexpected, huh?" Hakuba chuckled, walking up to Shinichi "I wouldn't say 'unexpected' if you ask me... I'd rather say... Late."

They laughed. Of course they knew KID would do something like this. Doing the unexpected while the whole world seems to be furiously trying to keep up. "Two minutes 'till KID shows!" The crowd chanted, growing more and more eager to see the phantom "KID! KID!" This went on until there was only ten seconds left

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!" Smoke bombs were heard drop down onto the ground as they went off, clouding everyone's vision until it cleared out. Everyone looked around, searching for the thief in white before someone shouted "It's KID!" They looked towards the sky, only to find KID seemingly floating mid-air before KID smirked and shouted.

\--

The crowd gaped, the police bewildered. He caught sight of his detectives with expressions that he hasn't seen for a long while. Grabbing the edge of his hat and leaning it forward to cover his face, he smirked. God, has it been a while.

Opening his mouth, he proudly shouted "Ladies and Gentlemen!"

"Kaitou KID is back in business."

Before he could continue, the image of KID cracked into pieces like a mirror being shattered as the lights from the Sky Tree changed it's color to blue. The pieces seemed to have flew off as more and more pieces appeared out of thin-air only for all of them to come together in separate groups to form multiple Kaitou KIDs.

All of them bowed in a gentlemen pose in sync before shattering once again, coming together and forming the one true KID. He looked around before his eyes stopped at at the sight of the KID Task Force and his detectives. "Long time, no see~" He cooed. He caught sight of Shinichi scowling while Hakuba remained calm as ever. "Kaitou KID!" Nakamori-keibu shouted through a loudspeaker "Ah, Nakamori-keibu! You seem to be quite well on this glorious night."

"Give it up KID! You already got your target two years ago! There's nothing for you to accomplish with that Syndicate on the run! Give yourself up!" KID tsked, waving his pointer finger at the inspector "I did say that you didn't need to prepare some gem for me to steal tonight but I didn't say that I didn't have a target to steal."

"Yeah? What is it this time?" Nakamori-keibu obviously was getting irritated as his tone of voice said it clearly. They waited for KID's reply for about 10 seconds only to be met with silence "..KID?"

"It's closer than you may think, Nakamori-keibu." He finally replied "Two years ago, I may not have known the location of my target. But two years ago is not now. I have my eyes set on my target, and I won't give up until I steal them from the rest of the world."

'Them?' Shinichi asked in his mind. "Well then, Meitantei!" Shinichi looked up at him, snapping away from his thoughts. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, Shinichi getting tense before KID's shoulder seemed to have relaxed "Catch me if you can?"

Shinichi's eyes snapped at the realization, before smirking up at the magician.

"Of course!"

 


	3. A Two Year Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid I have neglected him quite a bit. Please make sure he doesn't feel lonely for me.

It had been about 30 minutes since the start of KID's heist. From where he was floating outside, he had disappeared, only leaving a note that he was inside the Sky Tree. Countless police officers flooded the tower, being assigned their place while helicopters from the outside shone their lights on the inside of the tower, clearly looking for any signs of the thief in white.

Shinichi and Hakuba currently was walking through an semi-empty hallway. Some guards were posted around, looking around attentively. The first guard who saw them came up to them to check if one of them were KID in disguise, which was understandable to both the detectives. After that, the guards left them be to roam and search, confirming that they weren't the magician.

"What do you think his target is?" Hakuba asked, checking every detail of the hallway "Not another fairy tale-like gem, I hope." He joked "Yeah well, knowing him, it probably is considering his last target."

Hakuba hummed in acknowledgement while Shinichi looked out of the windows. The ground couldn't even be seen from the crowd of shouting fans. He looked up to see a helicopter shining their lights on them but not enough to entirely blind them. Both detectives caught sight of a news crew, obviously filming live. "Quite a ruckus KID had made, huh?" Shinichi chuckled, turning his head straight "First one to get to him has the privilege to scold him?" He challenged, Hakuba's eyes turning surprised for a second before smirking "I think you already know my answer." He replied.

Oh, how he did. Right after that, they went separate ways. Their keens eyes now examining every bit of the place twice as hard as before. Shinichi was now walking in an empty hallway. No guards. No helicopters. No nothing. Although the tower was filled with officers, this part was totally neglected from start to finish.  _An ideal place to hide for the thief_.

He could still hear the shouts from the outside though, but other than that, the hall was completely silent. He stopped on his trails, taking in the silence. He would rarely have any silence at all. At Agasa-hakase's, the Shounen Tanteidan would often come visit. Same with his house as Ran would come check on him while the Police would call him up on cases.

The silence broke by the tapping of walking feet. Shinichi tensed, already knowing who was there. "Lovely night isn't it, Meitantei?" He turned, his shoulders stiff with anticipation. KID still was in his white suit, his hands in his pockets while his posture relaxed. He turned his head to look at the full moon outside "What are you trying to accomplish, KID?" Shinichi questioned.

The thief chuckled "I already told you. I have a target I need to steal." Shinichi bit back a retort "Then why did you say 'them' instead of 'it'?" He asked with piercing eyes. The thief smirked, pulling down his hat in front of his face "Isn't it your job to figure that out, Meitantei?"

Shinichi only stared at him as KID turned his back away, pulling out a radio "This is Kudo Shinichi speaking." He said.  _That's my...!_ Shinichi took a look at where his radio is only to find it gone. "...Yes. Send a helicopter right away." A light shone from a helicopter as it neared both of them. KID smiled at the sight, before turning to Nakamori-keibu who panted from the rush of running over quickly.

"We got you surrounded, KID." Nakamori-keibu huffed as the thief smirked, his hair covering most of his eyes "I have to say, Nakamori-keibu. It was quite a ride tonight. I didn't know you could put up traps for me in such a short amount of time." He commented, earning him a grunt from the inspector "It's been two years, KID. Of course we've improved our security and our men." KID chuckled, turning to Shinichi and tossing out his radio to him.

The radio had barely hit Shinichi's hands before glass was heard being shattered. He looked up, only to find the thief jumping out the window, his smirk still visible as thousands of fans screamed loudly at the sight. He fell a few meters down below the helicopters before his hang glider sprang out.

"Damn that KID!" Nakamori-keibu cursed, quickly taking out his radio and ordering everyone to chase the thief, police cars and helicopters. They quickly dashed out, leaving Shinichi on his own. "Guess you win, hm?" A teasing voice said.

"Hakuba." The boy turned to see the other leaning against the wall "You didn't go with them?" He questioned. Hakuba shook his head "With KID on that hang glider of his, it wouldn't be surprising if they couldn't catch him." He replied.

Shinichi nodded, understanding his point of view. "KID left you a note." Hakuba pointed out. He looked at his hands, and sure enough, there was indeed a note from KID.  _He must've given it to me by throwing my radio along with it too.._ Shinichi sighed. "Are you gonna read it?"

He shook his head "Probably when I get home... You never know what's inside an envelope when the one who gave it to you is Kaitou KID." Hakuba smirked, before turning around and waving his hand "I'll see you tomorrow when we file the report." Shinichi made a noise of agreement, before walking away in the other direction himself.

**=== Kudo Residence ===**

"I'm home..." Shinichi breathed out tiredly. Pushing through a crowd of shrieking fans, running away from news reporters, and then trying to avoid his daily encounters with murders was too much for him to handle all at once.

He took his shoes off, quickly going to his bedroom's bed and collapsing in it. He closed his eyes, appreciating the long awaited silence before looking at his hand and seeing the letter. He sighed, putting the letter down on his study table before going to the bath.

_That KID... Who did he think he is? Suddenly appearing after two years and not even... Not even..._ Shinichi slapped himself mentally. What was he thinking?! He was a detective for God's sake! He should just be focusing on homicide murders instead of that thief! From his time in Conan to his time in Shinichi, that thief was nothing more than an arrogant, annoying, self-centered bastard who kept escaping the police's grasp for more than eight years! 

_...But he was also a non-violent, kind, and a protective person who would take a bullet to save a stranger's life._ He slapped himself physically this time. All this talk about KID must've went into his head...

He sighed, wrapping the towel around his waist before getting dressed in his pajamas. He looked at the letter KID gave to him again.  _Wait... What if it's a private heist note? KID always used to send him a lot of those when he was Conan..._

The detective rushed over, opening the envelope in his hands.

_My Dear Meitantei,_

      _I'm quite sorry if this isn't what you expected of this letter, but I must apologize to you for the past two years._   _After achieving my target, Pandora, I've been... quite busy with my personal and social life. Not only that, I've also been busy with sorting out with these things called 'feelings'._ _Not being able to be KID after so long would probably be the same as you not being tantei-kun all of a sudden. It's quite strange, to be honest. I kept on looking for Pandora, thinking it would take me five to ten years but here I am, Pandora destroyed and the Black Syndicate on the run._

      _Ah, now I'm getting side-tracked. As for my apology, you must be wondering on what I plan to steal this time._   _As I'm sure of, you must have caught on to my little dialogue. I'm not planning to kidnap a person, if that's what your thinking._   _The great Kaitou KID will never do such a thing! But I do plan something extraordinary that I am sure you haven't encountered yet._   _Keep in mind that this plan of mine has been in the works for two years._

      _Here is a little something for my apology, Meitantei. What I'm planning to steal cannot be replicated._   _It's hard as steel yet soft as cotton. This part of it is blue as the sea and like the sea, it holds life._   _Well, I am writing this as I am following you, so forgive me if it's a bit short. At my next heist, I will come and find you to see if you've uncovered the object that I'm planning to steal._   _If you have, I will unmask myself to you and turn myself in. If you haven't... Well, let's leave it at that._

      _Meitantei, do you get it yet? My little plan that's been in the works since my retirement will finally be put into action._

               _-_   _Kaitou KID (doodle)_

     _P.S. Do say hello to tantei-san for me. I'm afraid I neglected him and that he might feel quite lonely after my heist._

Shinichi laughed at this.

\--

Hakuba pulled out his phone, watching the news report on KID's heist. They caught the footage on when he had arrived, when he did his trick and when he left the scene using his hang glider. He smirked, his mind wandering off to a certain magician.

"What do you have in store for us now, Kuroba Kaito?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAND IT'S OUT. Finally completed it! I'm making sure to keep the pace steady and not throw all information out at once. Hope you all enjoyed it ^^


	4. The mystery that he can't figure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems that Hakuba knows what KID is planning. Just what is Shinichi missing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that I haven't been posting a lot lately! With school, it has been difficult for me to catch up. Hopefully by March break, I would have time to post new chapter.

"Good morning, Bakaito." His childhood friend greeted. "Mornin', Ahoko." He responded with a smirk. KID's heist went smoothly yesterday. The police had no leads as to where the thief would be. Though, Kaito has to admit, they put up quite a show for him behind the scenes. Two years ago, they couldn't even lay a single trap that could faze him and his poker face. But now, if Kaito wasn't careful, he could be in the hands of the police with handcuffs clutching on to his wrists.

He was glad though. After KID supposedly retired, he felt something was wrong. Very wrong. Was the Syndicate on the run? Yes. Is Pandora destroyed? Yes. Did anyone die? No. Did KID get captured? No. Did people know KID's identity? No. Everything seemed to go in his favor yet there is something wrong. He closed his eyes, picturing a puzzle. Each piece of the puzzle was something significant during his time as KID. Pandora was in its allotted space, so was the Syndicate. The lives of many was safely tucked in its place. Every single piece was there.

His family, friends, even the whole Task Force was there. There was something... Ah. He laughed. He couldn't acknowledge it. He had been running away from the truth, knowing it'll eventually catch up. _Had he been so arrogant this whole time?_ Was the first thought he came up with when he realized. The truth will always come to light, indeed.

\--

He was certain of it. Ever since KID made his appearance from his eight year hiatus, he was certain that a certain magician friend of his was him. By the looks of his 'former last' heist to the capture of a Syndicate, it was painfully obvious that they were the ones that was after KID and the jewel he stole. And he was fairly certain that this also wasn't the case this time around.

Surely KID wouldn't mistake some jewel as 'them' and not 'it', which means 'them' is either one lone person or a group. If it was a group, it'd have to be the same as that Syndicate. But if it was a lone person...

He paused, not knowing what to think. Revenge? KID wouldn't get violent, so that thought got threw out of the window.  _Think, Saguru!_ He screamed in his mind. His two year gap, his heist notice, his tone of voice, his expression, his questio-

And that was when an absurd thought came.

_Oh God._

_\--_

If  _that_  was the most tiresome night of his life, then this must be the most tiresome day of his life. It was only noon and he was close to just walking back home and locking himself in the library. News reporters, fans, even the police was chasing after him!

"Urgh..." He groaned as he flopped down on a quiet space in his University's library. Although there were some people there, they were too preoccupied on their project or essay to even care about the Heisei Holmes.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, alerting him of a call or text. 'Are you going to hand in your report or just sit there and keep on hiding all day long?' It read. "If you do choose the latter," A voice started "then I advice you to find a better hiding spot."

"Hakuba." Shinichi called before burying his face in his hands. He heard the other detective sigh and shift "Come on. Before another herd try and kidnap you for information." Shinichi groaned again as he slowly stood up, face towards the ground "KID's going to kill me someday..." He murmured.

"Wouldn't that break his rule of 'no one getting hurt'?" The other teased. They made their way into Hakuba's car, away from the gathering herd and on their way to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to hand in their reports.

"Ah, Kudo-kun!" Megure cried "What brings you here?" Shinichi was sure he already knows  _why_  he was here, so why bother asking that? "How was KID's heist yesterday?" Megure asked cheerfully.

Shinichi paled when he heard the question "Same as always... Although I saw that, it's a hundred- no. A thousand times worse than before." Shinichi scowled. Megure laughed while other officers came, greeted him, and asked him of the same question.

"Kudo-kun..." Takagi called "Have you heard of any news from Conan-kun?" He asked as the whole department seemed to rid of themselves of voices while they awaited Shinichi's answer. On the other hand, Shinichi, who had completely forgotten about him not telling anyone about him being Conan, quickly thought of a response. He slowly nodded "He texted me two days ago that he's been well over there in America. Still running into daily murders and mystery as far as he can tell." It's true though. He was and still is running into daily murders and mystery with an exception of KID's heists.

"Honestly... If I didn't know better about you two being human distant relatives, I would've thought that you two were death gods whom have come to take a person's life every time you guys step out." Sato joked. They stayed for a couple of minutes, sharing stories, jokes, before they had to leave.

"Ah." Shinichi realized, turning to Hakuba who was currently driving "KID says hello. Said he 'neglected' you during the heist." Shinichi smirked as he did air quotes. Hakuba grunted, his face turning into displeasure before disappearing and being replaced with curiosity "That reminds me," He said " He said-"

"'Them' instead of 'it', right?" Shinichi smirked. "I noticed. Confronted him about it too." He sighed, remembering the contents of KID's letter "He said that he's not planning to kidnap a person, but he did describe on what he is planning to steal."

"Oh?"

Shinichi nodded before continuing "He said that it can't be replicated. That it's hard as still but soft a cotton. You know what's more interesting? Apparently 'they' have more than one part."

Hakuba's silence was speaking more for Shinichi, urging him to continue "This part is blue, he said. It's also full of life and all. I already did the work and no gems, organizations, or even a single person out there who matches the description he gave me."

The gears in Shinichi's head could practically be heard. Out of the corner of his eye, Hakuba smirked. "Oi... Did you get something I didn't?" Shinichi asked. "I may have an idea on what KID is planning to steal. If I am correct, it would explain why  _he_  asked me that." Hakuba responded before stopping at the Kudo Manor.

As Shinichi was about to close the door, Hakuba eyed on him "Listen Kudo-kun. If my theory is correct then everything you have now will be disrupted once you and KID discuss about this matter."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Shinichi was honestly having bad vibes. If Hakuba was this concerned, then surely it was something serious. "Remember some time ago when I said that I have a suspect who I presume is KID? He had asked me a question some time after KID's supposed retirement."

Shinichi leaned in, carefully listening to every detail that escaped Hakuba's mouth. "He asked me-" It was then that a card flew right into the ground beside where Shinichi was standing. They turned to look at a silhouette that quickly resembled KID's attire on the Kudo Manor's roof. And with the moonlight's helped, they immediately confirmed it was KID.

Hakuba smirked, turning his eyes forward "Seems like my speculation is correct." He proudly said "This also confirms my theory on who KID is."

"Wai-" Shinichi tried to say but was quickly cut off "It seems like you have mail. I shall leave him to you, Kudo. Oh and..."

"I wish my luck to the both of you."

That was the last thing Shinichi heard before Hakuba drove away. He stared blankly, contemplating on what Hakuba meant, before remembering on KID and immediately turning to look at the roof. Just as he expected, KID was gone. He then went over to the mail after making sure KID was gone and opening the letter.

And lo and behold, it was a private heist note.


	5. That Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months...

He'd been hectic ever since he got KID's heist note. At first he thought that it'd be challenging for sure, but not  _this_  challenging. He hasn't found out what KID is planning to steal, he hasn't found out where the heist will be held at, he hasn't even found out when the heist is! Simple 3 W questions that even  _he_  can't solve. He had tried to contact Hakuba, to try and maybe realize something with the help of the other, but to no avail. Apparently, the Brit had flown to London just after the he had dropped Shinichi off for a family reunion and would be coming back two weeks later.

He had consulted Hattori about the note, but even he had trouble deciphering it. He can't really turn to his parents since they're at America and it would frankly hurt his pride, and he can't turn to the Police since it'd been a private heist note.

Scratching his head from irritation, he again tried to decipher the note, his mind soaring through ideas after ideas before him just shutting down and burying his face in his hands. "Ya still going on 'bout that note?"

He peered through his fingers, catching a glimpse of the Osakan detective.  He grunted in response, earning him a sigh from the other. "Why not just contact Nee-chan? Sure she could help."

"Homework and projects." He replied blankly.

"How 'bout that female detective?"

"Who? Sera?" Shinichi questioned before shaking his head. "All I need is just one clue, Hattori. One clue is all I need for this whole cipher to fall apart." Silence then took over, before Shinichi heard rustling beside him. He took a glance over to the seat beside him before his eyes widened.

"Soccer?"

"..."

"You're gonna die, Hattori."

\--

"Ah! Shinichi!" Ran smiled through the screen. "How've you been? Are you holding up?" She questioned, earning her a glare. "How about you? Your room isn't usually messy." He replied back.

Ran inwardly sighed "It's just homework and projects... You know how its been. Ah!" She exclaimed. "Have you seen the news? KID's back!"

"Yeah, yeah..." He waved off "I still don't know what he's after..." He whispered. "I wonder how Conan-kun reacted..." Ran thought out-loud. "Ah! I wasn't..."

"Brings back memories for you, huh?" Ran awkwardly laughed, not looking at the screen. "He'd always stay up at night when he receives a private heist note, trying to solve it before the police receives theirs. It was cute. But then... Right after KID retired, he..." She trailed off.

'He went to America.' He continued silently. "Ah... Gomen, Ran. I have to go. I promised the Detective Boys I'd play with them."

Ran smiled, nodding. "Don't get too cocky with them now." She waved, ending the call.

\--

Sighing and closing the door behind him, Shinichi scratched his head with the paper in hand. Sure, messing with Hattori in soccer was fun, chatting with Ran was enjoyable, and being with the Detective Boys again was refreshing, but it didn't help with the cipher either. Pushing his body inside, the detective quietly cursed under his breath as white fabric held his center of attention.

" _KID_."

"Good evening, Meitantei."

"Why are you here?" Shinichi scowled. The phantom tsked, moving forward with a step. "Didn't I already tell you? I will come and visit you at my next heist to see if you have discovered on what I plan to ste-"

"Heist." He paused "This," He motioned to the both of them and the room "is not a heist. It's just you and me, in a room, while I'm breaking laws by not capturing you and by you stealing." KID only smirked in response "Come now, Metantei... Surely you've deciphered my note?"

"What? How could I-"

"Did you ever wonder why I didn't send a note to the police? Why I made that note extra hard for you?" KID now had a dangerous tone in his voice, stepping forward while Shinichi backed away "It's because it was only meant for  _you_." 

KID was now face-to-face with Shinichi. Their height were almost the same, eyes still staring and glaring at each other. "I'm guessing it might be a little too hard. No matter, that only gives me the upper hand." KID smiled. "Hah? Do you really think there's anything valuable for you to steal here? You already achieved Pandora a long time ago, what's there for you to achieve?"

"This." KID answered immediately before leaning in.

Well... That was ancient history. After all...

 

KID disappeared once again after that fateful night from two months ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW ITS SHORT BUT BEAR WITH ME.


	6. Nice to meet you. Let's start over.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time, there was a detective and a thief. Once upon a time, they decided to disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG HOLY COW I'VE HAD A FRIGGIN LONG WRITERS BLOCK WOW

He still couldn't believe it to this day. KID? Kissing him? You've got to be kidding me. Even as cases flooded in, even as days passed by, the memory of KID doing  _that_ keeps re-surfacing, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.

He was surprised when everyone - and I mean everyone - noticed his odd behavior. Had he been bothered by it so much that he couldn't even hide it?

"For him to do that and just disappear again... The nerve of that guy..." He muttered venomously. What could anyone else expect? A Phantom Thief kissing a detective and just disappearing right after? Anyone would be frustrated.

"Stop muttering things to yourself! Geez..." Ran scolded. "Look. Whatever's bothering you has to stop. Is it a case? Some Sherlock Holmes thing I don't know about?" She questioned. "Nothing is..." He sighed. "Nothing's wrong, Ran. You're just looking too much into it."

"Hah?!" Ran screamed in disbelief. "Fine. If you won't tell me then I'm afraid I need to put S.N.H.F.F.O. in action!" She announced, pulling out her phone. "Put  _what_  in action?"

"Shinichi Needs Help From Friends Operation.  You better have your house clean or else everyone's gonna arrive at a messy house." The brunette said. "Sorry... Why exactly are people coming to my house?"

Ran just smiled whilst he could hear a text being sent. "Friday night!" She turned to him "A party on Friday night to take your mind off the thing that's bothering you!" She announced proudly. "We can't have you sulking all week now, can't we?" She gleefully said, walking away.

"Oi! I didn't agree on this!" He retorted back in futile.

In the back of his mind, his senses screamed. "Something's going to go wrong."

\--

Ring.

Then another ring.

And another.

"Yo Kudo!" Hattori greeted once he opened the door. His house, which normally was filled with only silence, was full of people now. Classmates, friends, and even some people that he didn't even recognize.

"Wow... What Mouri-chan said was right. You look utterly destroyed." Hattori observed after Kazuha slipped by to go after Ran. Shinichi only scowled. "What do you expect? Anyone would be like this after getting kissed by--"

"KISSED?!" Hattori screamed, drawing attention to him and Shinichi. "Eh? K-Kissed? Who?" Kazuha stuttered. Shinichi glared silently at Hattori. "Ah- no, no, no. I said 'missed' not 'kissed'" He tried.

They only gave him a suspicious look before going back to normal again. Hattori sighed out of relief, before getting elbowed on the stomach. "Idiot." Shinichi simply said. "Shinichi!" Ran called, waving for them to come. 

"This is Aoko Nakamori. She's the daughter of Nakamori-keibu." She introduced. "Nice to meet you." Aoko bowed. "And you already know Hakuba over here." She pointed, Hakuba smiling at him. "And... Uhm.."

"Huh?" Aoko looked around "Geez... Bakaito!" She called. Shinichi turned to look at the direction she was calling only to find a man, not much younger than him, surrounded by doves. "You must be Kudo Shinichi! Nice to meet you!" He pulled out a rose as Shinichi hesitantly took it. "My name is Kuroba Kaito! Magician extraordinaire!"

"Kuroba... Kaito?"

He looked so much like Shinichi with the only difference separating them was the other's hair. "I've heard so much about you! Is facing KID challenging or..?"

"This guy here is an absolute crazy fan for KID." Aoko face-palmed. "I feel like he'd get along well with Sonoko..." Shinichi mumbled. Nakamori-chan and Kuroba seemed to be like a not-so-different version of him and Ran.

Hattori then whispered to Shinichi "Anyway... You've been kissed?! By who?!" He questioned quietly. "KID. I was kissed by KID." The detective replied, leaving Hattori with a wide, gaping mouth. "Look I don't want to think about, okay?" He said. "It seems misfortune has followed you." Hakuba said, walking up to them. "Hattori."

"Hakuba."

Shinichi sighed, going along with Hakuba. "What do you mean by 'misfortune'?" Hakuba then pointed towards Kuroba. "He," He started "was the one who I suspect to be KID."

"WHAT?!"

For the second time, Shinichi elbowed Hattori. "Ah... Gomen, gomen..." He apologized. Shinichi sighed, turning to Hakuba "Are you sure?" He asked. "Quite." He responded. "What're you gonna do now, Kudo?"

Shinichi thought about this for a moment, before walking forwards. "Kuroba! Could you show me a few tricks?"

\--

The end of the party was finally coming to an end as more and more people bid farewell. "Kudo." Hattori called "We gotta get going. Good luck with that guy, alright?" He nodded, keeping a tiny yawn in his mouth.

"We have to get going as well. Thank you for the party!" Aoko bowed, looking at Hakuba and Kaito. "Sorry. You guys go ahead. I have to clean up the mess I made with that little magic show I did earlier." The magician said, earning him a worried look from Aoko. "Don't worry! I'll catch the last train!"

Aoko hesitantly nodded, looking over to Hakuba. "Then we'll get going huh? Have a good night, Kudo-san!"

A slam of the door indicated that they were finally alone.

"Well then! We better get started cleaning up, huh?" Kuroba stretched, clasping his hands together before moving forward. Shinichi nodded silently, picking up the broom.

They did this for about a minute or so before Shinichi piped up. "Why did you do it?" He asked through the eerie silence. "I'm sorry. Do what?" The other replied. Shinichi stopped, clenching his fists. "Why did you kiss me?!"

Silence followed soon after that. Shinichi turned his view away from Kuroba. "Look. Could you just stop it? I know you're KID." Again, an eerie silence followed. "As expected of a great detective..." He breathed out.  "But... Isn't the answer much too obvious now?" He heard the thief say.

"Answer? What answer?" He hissed. Silence once again took over. What answer was the thief talking about? Coming up with a strange clue for him to work with to find out what the thief's target was and then kissing him? What answer was the thief pointing out?!

"Meitantei..." The thief called, Shinichi ignored him. "Kudo." He said it firmly this time, footsteps approaching the Heisei Holmes. "Shinichi." He felt hands grab his shoulders firmly, forcing him to turn around and look at the brunette. A hand then came up and took a hold of his chin, making him see eye-to-eye with the thief. "Look at me."

"Tch!" He tried to swat the hand away from his chin only for his wrist to be caught just before he could push the hand away. Opening his eyes, he could only stare at the azure eyes looking at him. "Let go."

Silence.

"I said let go, damn it!" He tried to push away, to escape from his grasp. "Shinichi!" He looked at the thief, anger flaring in his eyes. "I..."

"I love you!"

He stopped, his body frozen in place, the words of the thief echoed in his mind trying to comprehend its meaning. "I... Love you... I don't care if you turn me in, I don't care if people around me start to hate me, just..."

"Keep your eyes fixed on me." Oh god. His voice broke. Kaitou KID's voice never breaks. "Please I... I can't bear you not looking at me, not focusing on me, not..."

"Wait, wait wait... Stop right there..." He slowly walked back. "You... Love... Me? Why?! I'm a detective, you're a thief--"

"STOP!" He looked, surprised by the sudden outburst. "Stop looking at Kaitou KID and look at me! The real me! Kuroba Kaito!"

He was speechless. What was he supposed to do? He could handle a gruesome crime scene with dismembered body parts laying all over the room, he could handle a life or death situation. Heck, he could even handle being turned back into a seven-year-old! But he could not, for the love of all things beautiful, handle a confession by a certain Phantom Thief.

"I..." He began.

"I'm sorry..." He could see the heartbreak in KI-- Kuroba's eyes. "I just... This situation is difficult for me to handle and... I just... I don't know if I like - love - you or not. I mean... We're both guys, for one. And for two, we're rivals! Your profession and mine don't exactly match."

"...Is that all?"

"Huh?" He looked at the magician. "Is that all?" He repeated. "What do you mean 'Is that all'?! I just rejected you!" He screamed in disbelief. "Correct. But really, is that your reasoning? We're both guys and we're a detective and thief at boot? Didn't I told you to look at Kuroba Kaito?"

He fell silent once the other finished. He saw Kuroba sigh before looking at him. "Then... Let's start over. Without KID and Conan. Without the bond of detective and thief. Just us." He stood up straight, staring directly into Shinichi's eyes. "My name is Kuroba Kaito. Magician Extraordinaire. You could just call me Kaito. I would like to for us to get to know each other." He held out a rose, a smile on his face.

He stared disbelievingly at him. His voice stuck in his throat before he forced it out "I'm... Kudo Shinichi. A... High school detective... I guess you could just call me... Shinichi... Nice to meet you..." He stared back after taking the rose.

He felt that things are going to be more eventful than it ever was before. And the weird thing is, he didn't hate it.

 


	7. Hello, dear Reader!

Hello~! Sorry I haven't updated this story in a long time. Expect one my Monday at 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time though! I'll delete this once the chapter is released and I'll be (hopefully) updating this story once every weekend. Again, apologies for the delay! I only have one question though; what are you expecting to see? Writing longer chapters obviously means it'd take a while for me to write and post them while shorter ones would be the opposite of that. Oh, and let's talk about Shinichi and Kaito for a moment here. Do y'all want them good  _smut_  or do you want it to just be cotton candy fluff? I can't deny that there will be bumps along the way but what's a relationship without them?

Of course, I have to warn you that I have  _never_  written smut before but I am willing to try (oh shush, it's for the experience okay? Don't judge me)! Last and final question; what do you expect to happen? I won't elaborate on this seeing as it should be clear as day. I just would like to hear some insights on how you think I'm doing and what I should be doing but take this statement with a grain of salt since I could be pretty evil from time to time. Anyways, I really do want to hear from you all! Thank you for your patience once again~


	8. Progress - Shinichi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Sunday morning with him and Kaito and a tray of food off to the side. Shinichi wonders whatever happened to their 'Start over' talk.

_"Then... Let's start over."_

Those words echoed inside his mind, playing over and over as if it was a broken record that Shinichi couldn't stop from rewinding. Truthfully, he honestly still couldn't believe it. Kaitou KID? In love with him? To the point that he was trusting Shinichi,  _a detective_ , to keep his identity a secret? What kind of life was he living exactly?

A sigh escaped his mouth, his hand running through the back of his head and scratching it in— Annoyance? Confusion? He didn't know. Before he could even realize it, he was staring up into the ceiling with a blank expression, contemplating what had happened the night before.

KID— Kuroba—  _Kaito._  The name change went too fast in his opinion. Before certain events, KID had been... Well, KID. An elusive phantom thief in which Shinichi swore his life to capture. That was it. Sure, they had worked together from time to time. Looking out for each other's backs and had little chats in whatever ridiculous rooftop the thief had chosen to land on but it didn't extend any more than that. He sighed for the second time that day, his face practically embodying the definition of 'troubled'.

After proclaiming his love to Shinichi, the phantom thief had kissed his goodbye before disappearing in a pink cloud of smoke. A vow had escaped his lips then, saying that he'll be back. That he'll come and swoop Shinichi off the ground and onto his arms. He huffed at that, brows furrowed with his heart soaring through beat after beat. He just  _had_  to be so flamboyant, didn't he?

Now it was just him laying on his bed with a body that didn't want to get up with daylight daring to peek through the curtains in his bedroom. He closed his eyes, relishing the silence. Well, he got to see something interesting anyway. Kaito screaming out to Shinichi, telling him to look at him. To look at Kuroba Kaito. To look at  _him_.

...Somehow that just made Shinichi sound like he's been in love with Kaito since forever.

The name, Kaito, was a great mystery to him if he was being honest. He should've been weirded out by it, should've kept away from the name and kept addressing KID as KID and yet... And yet he _couldn't_. It was as if God forbade him to. As if it was  _law_. He wanted to know everything about the phantom, every little habit and each likes and dislikes despite their (very,  _very_  complicated) relationship. 

Dammit, that just made him sound  _more_  in love with Kaito.

Kaito... He repeated in his mind.

Kaito... The name felt so  _familiar_.

"Kaito..." He murmured before the door slammed out with a big 'BANG!'. "Shin-chan~!" The magician, with his bright smile (Stop it, Shinichi. You're making it worse.), shouted cheerfully from the doorway. Shinichi froze, hands clutching onto the sheets as his face paled.  _Oh god_ , why was  _he_ here?

Shinichi stared up at him with a horrified expression, one you would make when someone, Kaito in this scenario, did something incredibly stupid. He looked. And looked again. And he looked again, not believing what he was seeing. "W-Why are you— " Somehow, he had missed the tray of food the other had been carrying until he had stomped over from the doorway to place it on Shinichi's study desk. "Now, now Shin-chan~" He cooed nonchalantly as if he had not just broken into a  _detective's_ house to cook breakfast for him.

Wait. Breakfast?

"It's quite rude to look at the person like that who had  _kindly_ prepared breakfast for you. As if you just saw a puppy or kitten being kicked right in front of you." He shook his head in disappointment, a frown on his face as he crossed his arms. "Wha-Why are you—"

Before he knew it, a spoon holding a piece of the omelet from the plate was in front of his mouth with a phantom thief smiling brightly at him. "Say 'Ah~'" He hummed, causing Shinichi to freeze because  _seriously_? What happened to the 'Let's start over.' talk just they had?!

" _Kaito_!" He exclaimed, tilting his head to the side so that the spoon wasn't up-front in his face. "What the  _hell_ are you doing here?!" Kaito tsked, withdrawing the spoon in his hand. "You shouldn't curse so early in the morning, Shin-chan!" He scolded.

"Stop calling me 'Shin-chan', dammit!"

"Oh?" Kaito let out, stopping to think. "Then would you rather me call you something else? How about sweetheart? My dove? Love of my life? Or..."

" _Darling_?"

Shinichi swore he was going to kick the heavens out of him, throwing a pillow as a substitute in the end. "Shut up!" He roared, face tinted red with furrowed brows supporting it. "Kuroba Kaito what the  _hell_ happened to our talk of starting over?!" Shinichi demanded, grasping tightly onto the sheets as he balled his hands into fists. He heard Kaito whistle in content, the mattress of his bed lowering as the magician sat down near the end. "It pleases me that you've started calling me by my name! Not to mention my first name too~!"

_That narcissistic bastard..._

Shinichi grimaced at him making Kaito laugh. "Alright, alright~" He cooed, raising his hands up as a gesture of surrender. "Well, if we were to actually start over, that would mean us being strangers correct? I... I don't want that. I'd rather us actually start over as friends."

Shinichi scoffed. " _Friends_? Me, a  _detective_ , with you, a  _thief_?" What was he playing at? Did he actually think that... "Didn't I say to stop looking at KID?" He mumbled, his indigo eyes being covered by his bangs. "Please just... At least give me one chance to pursue you." It was... Weird. Seeing KID—  _Kaito_ beg to Shinichi of all people... He wanted to retort back to Kaito, to tell him that it was brave for him to ask Shinichi to give him a chance to  _court_ him but... With the state that he was in now...

Maybe he should stop being stubborn at this point.

He sighed, a hand brushing through his hair as he looked at the magician currently holding onto the edge of his bed as if it was a lifeline. "...Fine."  He plainly said.

He almost wished he didn't.

As soon as he did, he saw Kaito's eyes sparkle. It was... Cute.

He mentally slapped himself.

Kaito got up from the bed as he skipped over to the tray of food, picking up the spoon again. "Say 'Ah', Shin-chan~" He repeated. Shinichi wondered if this is how you normally court someone but it didn't matter at this point. Before he even knew it, he was saying "Ah~" as Kaito spoon-fed him on a Sunday morning

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bit early but, hey! It's finally another chapter! How was it? Good? Bad? Maybe longer? I gotta sneak in some character development too so I thought 'Hey. Let's sneak some fluff in there too.' and this happened! I've already got the next 5 chapters sorted out and I'll probably post them one by one every Sunday night where I live (Eastern Daylight Time). If you'd like to suggest something, go ahead and comment or PM me!

**Author's Note:**

> See you, next illusion.


End file.
